398 DZUNGARIA 



Mongol chieftains. In this out-of-the-way frontier post, 

 at a distance of 1,500 miles from Pekin, the Chinese kept 

 up as great state as if they were at home. But the 

 prestige of the Empire they represented became a 

 negligible quantity when we reviewed the poorly clad, 

 slouching band of ruffians who, armed with old German 

 rifles and pikes, formed the garrison. 



Sharasume had, however, the makings of an important 

 settlement ; it was not only the centre of a large nomadic 

 population, thus holding out good prospects for trade, 

 but the Kran Valley — although undeveloped — possessed 

 all that was necessary for the creation of a large agri- 

 cultural district. Even now there is a considerable area 

 under cultivation, though supplying only sufficient for 

 local consumption. The Chinese and Chantos possessed 

 promising market-gardens, in which they grew vegetables 

 and melons ; whilst wheat, millet, and a few oats were 

 cultivated in irrigated fields by the semi-nomadic Kirei 

 and Torgut Mongols. This led to the interesting dis- 

 covery that in the Kran and Upper Irtish Valleys signs 

 were not lacking of the nomads becoming more or less 

 sedentary, in that, they were cultivating the land, and 

 even building occasional isolated farm-houses. The 

 population of the Kran Valley must be considerable, 

 but, being a migratory one — the cultivators of the land 

 near Sharasume moving down to the steppes after the 

 harvest is over — it is difficult to estimate. The settle- 

 ment itself had a population of about 2,000. 



In the bazaars we found all we needed in the form of 

 stores, such as rice, flour, eggs, tea, and sugar ; we even 

 bought apples which had come from Urumchi in Southern 

 Dzungaria, and dried apricots imported from Turfan 

 in Chinese Turkestan. The traders were chiefly Chantos 



